Ginevra Weasley
Ginevra "Ginny" Molly Potter (née Weasley) was born on August 11, 1981. She is the youngest of Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley's children. She has vivid red hair like the rest of her family, and bright brown eyes. According to her twin brothers, Fred and George, she is a deceptively talented witch in spite of her size, and is noted for her skill with the Bat-Bogey Hex. She is the first female to be born into the Weasley line for several generations. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1992, and was possessed by Tom Riddle's sixteen year old self during her first year, and forced to re-open the Chamber of Secrets. Growing into a confident young woman after her ordeal, she was one of the main members of Dumbledore's Army, and fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996. She was also an accomplished Quidditch player, and joined the Gryffindor House team, playing as both chaser and seeker. She fought in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997, and the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. She would later marry the love of her life, Harry Potter, and played Quidditch professionally for the Holyhead Harpies. Ginny and Harry had three children, James, Albus Severus, and Lily, and she became the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet. Biography Early life (1981-1992) at King's Cross station.]] Ginny is the only daughter in the Weasley family, and lives at The Burrow. Her room is on the third floor, overlooking the Weasley family's orchard''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Despite the majority of her brothers being keen Quidditch players, she wasn't allowed to play with them when she was a child. In defiance of this, from the age of six, she would break into the family broom shed and take each of their brooms out in turn. She was never caught, and it only came to light eight years later when she tried out for the Gryffindor House teamHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Ginny had been looking forward to attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ever since her oldest brother, Bill started at the schoolHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. On September 1st, 1991, she accompanied her mother to King's Cross station to see off her brothers as they departed for Hogwarts. Despite being too young to attend the school, she still asked her mother if she can go with them. While saying goodbye to her brothers, she found out that Harry Potter was on the train, and tried to get her mother to let her go on the train to see him. As the train pulled out, she began to cry, despite her brothers promising to send her loads of owls. She ran along the platform after the train, half-laughing and half-crying, then stopped to wave them off. When the Hogwarts Express returned to King's Cross in June, 1992, Ginny was with her mother to welcome her brothers back, and was again excited to see Harry, pointing him out to her mother as he came through the barrier between platforms nine and tenHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The summer of 1992 at The Burrow.]] After seeing Harry at King's Cross, Ginny developed a crush on him, and talked about him all summer. When Harry arrived at The Burrow after being rescued from the Dursleys by Ron, Fred and George, she became extremely shy in his presence. On their first meeting, she came down to breakfast to find him sitting at the table. Startled, she retreated back to her room, and stared at Harry as he passed her bedroom on his way to Ron's. Ginny became extremely clumsy around Harry, and had a habit of knocking things over when he entered a room. On the day their Hogwarts letters arrived, she knocked over a porridge bowl with a loud clatter, and put her elbow in the butter dish when Harry asked her if she was starting at Hogwarts. Ginny travelled to Diagon Alley with her family to buy her school supplies, and her excitement of finally going to Hogwarts was tempered by the fact that, due to the Weasley's financial situation, she would have to make do with a lot of second hand stuff, such as robes and books. In Flourish and Blotts, however, she became the owner of a brand new set of Gilderoy Lockhart's collected works. Harry, having been given them by Lockhart as a publicity stunt, gave them to her since he could afford a set of his own. With this act of kindness and recognition, Ginny finally spoke in front of Harry, standing up to Draco Malfoy when he started to insult him. in Flourish and Blotts.]] Draco was with his father, Lucius, and the elder Malfoy took the opportunity to insult the Weasley family for associating with Muggles and - in his eyes - being a disgrace to wizards. During his tirade, he managed to slip Tom Riddle's diary into Ginny's battered second-hand copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Tom Riddle's diary and the Chamber of Secrets .]] Ginny started Hogwarts on September 1st, 1992, and was sorted into Gryffindor. She discovered Tom Riddle's diary in amongst her school things, and began writing in it. To her amazement, the diary wrote back, and she started to confide in Tom Riddle's memory, writing about how her brothers teased her, how she had to come to school in with second-hand robes and books, and how she thought that Harry would never like her. She poured her heart out to the diary, and told Tom's memory all about Harry's story. At least once, Ginny went down towards Hagrid's hut, hoping to see Harry. She continued to write in the diary, and confided in it her deepest fears and darkest secrets. Her despair, however, served to strength Tom Riddle's memory, and he began to pour a little of his own soul back into her, and slowly started to possess her. By the start of October, the signs of the possession began to show on Ginny. She started to look peaky, but a spate of colds in the school covered up the true nature. Her brother, Percy, forced her to take Pepperup Potion to get her over it. By the 31st of October, the memory of Tom Riddle was able to take full control of Ginny, and used her to open the Chamber of Secrets, releasing the basilisk and petrifying Argus Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris. .]] Following the attack, Ginny seemed upset over Mrs. Norris, and her brothers put it down to the fact that she was a cat-lover. She opened the Chamber of Secrets another two times, resulting in the petrification of Colin Creevey and Justin Finch-Fletchley. She became more visibly upset, and again, her brothers put it down to other causes - she sat next to Colin in Charms, and that she was worried that Ron might be expelled if he got in trouble. Fred and George attempted to cheer her up, but went about it the wrong way by leaping out at her from behind statues covered in fur or boils. Ginny confided in the diary, however, that she thought she was going mad. She woke up with rooster feathers on her robes, and couldn't remember where she had been on Halloween and when Colin was attacked. She started to think that she was attacking everyone. Along with her brothers, Ginny remained at Hogwarts over Christmas instead of going to visit her brother Bill in Egypt with her parents. She had started to become suspicious of the diary, and several weeks after Christmas attempted to get rid of it by throwing it down a toilet in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Free of the diary, Ginny sent Harry an anonymous Singing Valentine on February 14th, 1993. He received it in front of her as she was going into a Charms lesson when he was accosted by a dwarf assigned to deliver it. During the delivery, Harry's bag was torn, and the contents were dropped onto the floor. To Ginny's horror, she saw that Harry now had the diary. To make matters worse, Draco Malfoy implied that she had sent Harry the Singing Valentine in front of everyone. Fearful that Harry would discover her secrets and that she might be responsible for the attacks, she waited until the boy's dormitory was empty then ransacked Harry's belongings to recover the diary. Recovering it, Ginny was once more possessed by the memory of Tom Riddle, and opened the Chamber again, this time petrifying Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater. .]] Ginny tried to tell Harry and Ron what was going on, but couldn't get the words out, and she was interrupted by Percy. The memory of Tom Riddle was furious, however, as he had been planning on taking on Harry Potter himself after learning his story. Realizing that Harry would come to save Ginny, he made her write a farewell on a corridor wall, then enter the Chamber of Secrets to die. She had poured so much of her life into the diary that she couldn't fight Tom's possession of her, and the last thing she remembered as she lay down on the floor of the Chamber was Tom coming out of the diary. The memory of Tom Riddle had fed off her, gaining enough strength to become corporeal. She had little life in her, and it was ebbing away from her. Rescue from the Chamber about Tom Riddle's diary.]] Ginny awoke in the Chamber to find that Harry had saved her and destroyed Riddle's diary. By piercing it with a basilisk fang, Ginny's vitality was restored to her. Tearful and scared, Ginny revealed what had happened to Harry, and was sure she was going to be expelled from school. After leaving the Chamber with the aid of the phoenix, Fawkes, Ginny was reunited with her parents in Dumbledore's office. Despite her fears, Dumbledore refused to punish her, saying that older and wiser wizards had been duped by Lord Voldemort, and sent her to the hospital wing to recover from her ordeal with a mug of hot chocolate. Following her ordeal, Ginny returned to normal, and was happy and relaxed for the rest of the summer term. At the end of the school year, she travelled back to King's Cross with her brothers, Harry, and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, playing Exploding Snap. Second year .]] Ginny traveled to Egypt in the summer of 1993 with the rest of her family to visit her brother Bill after her father won seven hundred galleons in the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. She visited various tombs, but her mother wouldn't allow her to go in the last one because of all the mutant skeletons. Ginny and her family stayed at the Leaky Cauldron the night before setting off to start her second year at Hogwarts, and she met Harry again. She was even more embarrassed in front of him than usual, muttering a hello but not looking at him. The next day, on Platform 9¾, she did meet his eyes as they shared a laugh over Percy's behavior when trying to impress his girlfriend. On the Hogwarts Express, Ginny was separated from her brothers until the train stopped because of the Dementors. In the dark, she found her way into the compartment containing Harry, Hermione, Ron and Professor Lupin. When the Dementors came to the compartment, Ginny was one of the worst affected by them because of her experiences with Tom Riddle's diary. She went very pale and shook like mad, eventually sobbing and having to be comforted by Hermione. Later in the year, after Harry was injured by a rogue bludger during a Quidditch match, Ginny visited him in the hospital wing. She had made him a get well card that sang shrilly when opened, and presented it to him while blushing furiously''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Summer of 1994 and the Quidditch World Cup , Harry, Ginny, Ron, Fred and George at the Quidditch World Cup.]] In the summer of 1994, Ginny spent a lot of time with Hermione, who was staying at The Burrow before and after the Quidditch World Cup. They shared Ginny's room, and a tent at the World Cup, and solidified their growing friendshipHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Aware of her interest in Harry, Hermione advised Ginny to relax around him more and show him what she was really like since she could barely talk if he was in the same room as her. She even told Ginny to start going out with other people . Although she was still shy around Harry, who was also staying at The Burrow, she took Hermione's advice and was much more relaxed and spent time with him, Ron and Hermione. She attended the Quidditch World Cup with the majority of her family, and was shaken by the appearance of Death Eaters in the aftermath of the Irish victory. Hogwarts and the Yule Ball and Neville at the Yule Ball.]] Ginny returned to Hogwarts, and maintained a good relationship with Hermione. Ginny was the only one that Hermione confided in when Viktor Krum asked her to the Yule Ball. As a third year, Ginny wasn't allowed to attend the ball unless asked by an older student. Neville Longbottom asked her to go, and she accepted since she was friends with him and it was a good opportunity. She comforted her brother, Ron, when he asked Fleur Delacour to the ball while under the influence of her part-Veela heritage. However, she still harbored feelings for Harry, and was displeased to hear that he had asked Cho Chang to the ball. She was even more despondent when Ron suggested that Harry take her to the ball since he didn't have a date. Struggling with the idea that she could have gone with Harry, she nevertheless remained loyal to her agreement with Neville and attended the ball with him. At the ball, she met Michael Corner, and started dating him at the end of the year. Number 12, Grimmauld Place at dinner at Number 12, Grimmauld Place with Harry and Kingsley Shacklebolt.]] With the revelation that Lord Voldemort had returned, Ginny's parents became active members of the reconstituted Order of the Phoenix. As a result, the family was relocated to the Order's headquarters at Number 12, Grimmauld Place during the summer of 1995. Ginny stayed at headquarters, sharing a room with Hermione, and helped her mother to clean and disinfect the place to make it a suitable base of operations. She learned the truth about Sirius Black, and met Nymphadora Tonks, who acted like a big sister towards her and Hermione. When Harry arrived at Number 12, Ginny was pleased to see Harry, and, due to her relationship with Michael Corner, was relaxed and composed in his presence, showing none of the embarrassment and shyness towards him that she had shown during previous meetings. Due to her age, however, Ginny was never allowed into Order meetings, and, when Sirius insisted on filling Harry in on the Order and Voldemort, she was the only one banished from the meeting by her mother. However, she got Hermione - who was allowed to hear - to tell her everything anyway. When Harry was acquitted at his hearing for using magic in front of a Muggle while under-age, she was extremely pleased, and sang and danced with Fred and George. Dumbledore's Army practicing in a DA meeting.]] Ginny returned to Hogwarts in the September of 1995 with her brothers. During the train ride on the Hogwarts Express, Ginny introduced Harry and Neville to Luna Lovegood, and fourth year Ravenclaw. With the arrival of new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge and a theory-based course, Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to form a study group to teach practical defence spells. Ginny joined the group, bringing her boyfriend Michael Corner with her, and several other Ravenclaws. During the first official meeting of the group, she came up with the name for the group - Dumbledore's Army. Quidditch and Saint Mungo's Just before the Christmas of 1995, Harry, along with Fred and George, recieved a life-long Quidditch ban from Umbridge for attacking Draco Malfoy during their game against Slytherin. Ginny tried out for the team, and became the new seeker, although she admitted that Harry was better than her, and that she preferred playing chaser and scoring goals. , Ginny, Fred and George learn that their father had been attacked.]] What should have been a happy time for Ginny was marred by the attack on her father by Nagini just prior to Christmas. Along with her brothers and Harry, she was instantly sent to Number 12, Grimmauld Place to await news. Relieved to find out he was ok, Ginny saw him the next day in St Mungo's and hugged him immediately. Following the visit, she noticed that Harry started to distance himself from everyone. Learning that Harry had convinced himself that he had been possessed by Lord Voldemort and attacked her father, she railed on him for not seeking advice from the one person who had definitely been possessed by the Dark Lord. She quietened his fears by relaying her experiences to him, and admitted that she had never truly gotten over it. She spent Christmas at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, and visited her father again on Christmas Day. During this time, along with Harry, Ron and Hermione, she found out the truth about Neville Longbottom's parents, and how they had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange using the Cruciatus Curse. Returning to Hogwarts after Christmas, Ginny played her first game for the Gryffindor House team against Hufflepuff. Despite losing the match, Ginny captured the Golden Snitch, although she downplayed the achievement by saying it wasn't a fast snitch and that the opposing seeker, Summerby, had a cold. Probably as a result of her being more confident and relaxed in front of Harry, her willingness to stand up to him, and their shared experiences of being a seeker, Harry and Ginny grew closer. Around Easter, he confided in her that he needed to speak to Sirius, and she encouraged him to. In May, Ginny played her second game of Quidditch for the Gryffindor team against Ravenclaw. She managed to capture the Golden Snitch, beating Cho Chang, and securing the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor. In the aftermath of the victory, Michael Corner became very moody and sulked about the result. Because of his attitude, Ginny dumped him shortly after the match. Battle of the Department of Mysteries , Luna, Neville, Harry, Hermione and Ginny.]] When Harry had a vision of Sirius being tortured in the Department of Mysteries by Voldemort in June, Ginny helped Ron and Hermione to convince him to check Grimmauld Place before setting off on a rescue attempt. With Harry and Hermione breaking into Umbridge's office, and Ron distracting her with news that Peeves was wrecking havoc, Ginny and Luna stopped people from entering the corridor leading to the office by saying that someone had flooded it with Garrotting Gas. Unfortunately for them, Umbridge saw through their ruse since she knew of Peeves's true location, and ordered her Inquisitorial Squad to round them up. Ginny was captured by Warrington, and when Neville saw what was happening and tried to help, he was caught as well. Held in Umbridge's office with the threat of expulsion hanging over them, Harry and Hermione managed to lure Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest. While alone with the Inquisitorial Squad, Ginny, along with Ron, Luna and Neville, managed to break free using skills that they had acquired in their DA sessions. Ginny utilized the Bat Bogey Hex on Malfoy with great success, and they managed to regroup with Harry and Hermione. Convinced that Sirius was in mortal danger, Harry resolved to travel to London and rescue him. After a lot of arguing, Ginny managed to persuade Harry that she, Neville and Luna should go as well. Flying Thestrals to London, they entered the Ministry of Magic using the visitor's entrance, and headed for the Department of Mysteries. In the Hall of Prophecies, they found no sign of Sirius, but Neville did find a prophecy pertaining to Harry. As Harry removed it from the shelf, the group was surrounded by Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy, and learned that Voldemort had used the connection between himself and Harry to lure him there to remove the prophecy. Ginny was threatened with torture by Bellatrix Lestrange, who wanted to use the Cruciatus Curse on her to force Harry to hand over the prophecy. Acting as one, the six of them fired off defensive spells to ward off the Death Eaters, and began running. in the Hall of Prophecies.]] Ginny, along with Luna and Ron, were separated from the other three, and were chased through various rooms by Death Eaters. In one room containing a three-dimensional representation of the solar system, one of the Death Eaters grabbed Ginny by the ankle. Luna, using the Reductor Curse, blew up Pluto in the Death Eater's face, but the resulting explosion broke Ginny's ankle. She was helped to safety by Luna, but she was in shock and pale, and played no further part in the battle. Luckily, the Death Eaters were intent on grabbing the prophecy from Harry, and were soon distracted by the arrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix. Following the battle, Ginny recovered in the hospital wing at Hogwarts where Madam Pomfrey fixed her ankle in a thrice. On the train ride back to London, Ginny revealed that she had ditched Michael Corner. Ron told her to choose better next time, to which she replied that she already had. She was now dating his classmate Dean Thomas. Fifth year and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower Ginny spent the summer of 1996 at The Burrow with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Despite having to put up with her brother Bill's new fiancé, Fleur Delacour (who she nicknamed "Phlegm"), she had a good summer practising Quidditch and planning to try out for the House team as a chaser. On a trip to Fred and George's new shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, in Diagon Alley, she bought her first pet, a purple Pygmy Puff that she name Arnold. On September 1st, she met up with Dean Thomas on the Hogwarts Express, but was interrupted by fellow DA member Zacharias Smith, who attempted to get information out of her regarding what had happened that night in the Department of Mysteries. Tired of his continued questioning, she cursed him with the Bat Bogey Hex, and was seen by the new Potions teacher, Horace Slughorn. She feared detention, but Slughorn was so impressed that he invited her to take lunch with him as part of a select group of students he hoped to cultivate. As term started, Ginny tried out for the Gryffindor House Quidditch team, of which Harry had been made the Captain. She excelled as a chaser, and was given a spot on the roster. Following one Quidditch practice, she and Dean were caught kissing by Harry and Ron. She and Ron had a blazing argument over her kissing Dean in public, but Ginny countered that Ron only saw it as wrong because he had never kissed anyone himself. During the first Quidditch match of the season against Slytherin, Ginny scored several goals to help the team to victory. Following the match, she purposely crashed her broomstick into the commentary box because the commentator, Zacharias Smith, had been making disparaging remarks about the Gryffindor team. Her feud with Ron over his attitude towards her and Dean was worsened when, in the aftermath of the victory, he began going out with Lavender Brown. Ginny brands her brother a "filthy hypocrite" for his actions. Ginny spent Christmas at The Burrow with her family, and when she returned to Hogwarts, she seemed unenthusiastic about meeting up with Dean. After Ron was accidentally poisoned on his birthday, Ginny visited him in the hospital wing and they seemingly forgave each other. Ginny played in the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, where Ron's recovery forced Harry to play reserve keeper Cormac McLaggen. During the match, McLaggan took one of the beater's clubs, and accidently knocked a bludger directly at Harry. Harry was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured skull. Dean, who had been playing as reserve chaser in place of Katie Bell, laughed about the incident, causing him and Ginny to have a row. Ginny subsequently visited Harry in the hospital wing. Ginny and Dean were going through a rocky patch, and in April they finally split up when she accused Dean of always trying to help her through the portrait door into the Gryffindor common room. In reality, Harry had been wearing his invisibility cloak, and bumped into her while under the influence of Felix Felicis, but the incident finally brought an end their already unstable relationship. Despite the break-up - or because of it - Ginny was still her usually bubbly self, and hung around with Harry and Ron more because of Quidditch training. She also defended Harry's use of the Sectumsempra spell against Draco Malfoy, even if it had earned him a detention that forced him to miss the last Quidditch match of the year. With Harry in detention, Ginny took the role of seeker for the Gryffindor team for the final match against Ravenclaw. They won the match and the Quidditch cup, and, during the post-match celebrations, Ginny and Harry spontaneously kissed. Ginny, who had never really given up on Harry was over the moon, and he had been harbouring feelings for her all year. Ginny and Harry started dating, although their time together was limited due to Harry's weekly detentions and Ginny's O.W.L. revisions. In June, Death Eaters were let into the school by Draco Malfoy while Dumbledore and Harry were away searching for one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. Harry, who had suspected that Draco was a Death Eater for a while, forewarned Ron and Hermione to be vigilant, and gave them the remains of the Felix Felicis potion. Ginny, along with Neville and Luna, joined Ron and Hermione in taking the potion, giving them extra luck in case they needed it. Along with Ron and Neville, Ginny staked out the entrance to the Room of Requirement, which Harry believed that Draco was using for some unknown purpose. They watched Draco emerge from the room with the Hand of Glory; when he saw them, he threw Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, blinding them and leading Death Eaters into Hogwarts via a vanishing cabinet. Fighting their way clear of the darkness, they met up with Remus Lupin and other members of the Order of the Phoenix that were patrolling the school under orders from Dumbledore. In the ensuing battle Ginny duelled with Amycus Carrow, but suffered no injuries due to the Felix Felicis potion. In the aftermath, Ginny was shocked to find that her brother Bill had been badly injured and permanently scarred by Fenrir Greyback, and that Dumbledore had been killed by Severus Snape. She seemed to accept Bill and Fleur's relationship after watching her with him in the hospital wing. Ginny took her O.W.L.s despite the tragedy that had occurred at the school, and attended Dumbledore's funeral. After the former headmaster had been laid to rest, Harry broke up with Ginny, fearing that if Voldemort knew how he felt about her, she would become a target and he could not knowingly endanger her life. Despite saying that she knew the risks involved in being with Harry, she accepted his decision, although it did cut her up inside''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Battle of Hogwarts ''Content to follow Ginny returns to Hogwarts to begin her sixth year and is seen very little until the battle. However, during the year, she was helping to lead a resistance movement among the students towards the Death Eaters, along with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. During the battle Bellatrix Lestrange attempts to duel her, Hermione and Luna. Ginny's mother then takes over their battle, finally killing Bellatrix. Ginny became a celebrated Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies for several years, and married Harry at some point. She then retired and had a family with Harry which produced three children; James, Albus Severus, and Lily. She would also become the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily ProphetJK Rowling web chat, 30th July. Physical appearance Ginny was often described as a small girl, taking after her mother and twin brothers Fred and George in stature. Like the rest of the Weasley family, she had vivid red hair that she wore long so, and it was often described as a "mane" - which was appropriate for a Gryffindor, whose symbol was a lion. She had bright brown eyes like her mother, and when she set her jaw, she bore a striking resemblance to Fred and George. When she blushed, which was often around Harry in the early years of their friendship, she would go so red that it was said to match her hair. Personality and traits Content to follow Behind the name Ginevra is the Italian form of Guinevere which means "fair one". Guinevere is also the name of King Arthur's wife in Arthurian legend. J.K. Rowling on Ginny as Ginny Weasley.]] "The plan was, which I really hope I fulfilled, is that the reader, like Harry, would gradually discover Ginny as pretty much the ideal girl for Harry. She's tough, not in an unpleasant way, but she's gutsy. He needs to be with someone who can stand the demands of being with Harry Potter, because he's a scary boyfriend in a lot of ways. He's a marked man. I think she's funny, and I think that she's very warm and compassionate. These are all things that Harry requires in his ideal woman. But, I felt — and I'm talking years ago when all this was planned — initially, she's terrified by his image. I mean, he's a bit of a rock god to her when she sees him first, at 10 or 11, and he's this famous boy. So Ginny had to go through a journey as well… I feel that Ginny and Harry, in this book, they are total equals. They are worthy of each other. They've both gone through a big emotional journey, and they've really got over a lot of delusions, to use your word, together. So, I enjoyed writing that. I really like Ginny as a character."MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling part 3 Character analysis Fan reaction to Ginny has always been mixed. Many fans liked her prior to The Order of the Phoenix, while others either dismissed her as unimportant or a fangirl (akin to Colin Creevey). Her portrayal in Order of the Phoenix and especially Half-Blood Prince has further inflamed opinions on both sides, owing at least in part to her involvement in the resolution of the fandom's so-called "ship debates". Some fans argue that Ginny’s "irregular" and changing personality is a sign of weak writing and character development. Others respond that the supposedly "unrealistic" nature of her character is the result of Harry being an unreliable narrator: as Rowling uses the third-person limited point of view, Ginny's development is given in subtle hints and clues throughout first six books, and the full story is only revealed at the very end of book six, where Ginny explains how she overcame her shyness and insecurity. In this way, Ginny's development, and her romance with Harry, is told in the style of a mystery, like much of the rest of the series. A number of those who dislike Ginny argue that she is a Mary Sue, portrayed as being beautiful, popular with boys, funny, and athletically gifted with great magical talent, while her more unsympathetic character traits are supposedly "glossed over" by the author. These unsympathetic actions are seen by some as showing Ginny to be unnecessarily callous. Others, however, find them to be justified, and argue that Ginny's character development is more an inspiring story of a young girl overcoming debilitating insecurities and shyness, and growing into a strong and more attractive young woman because of her decisions in life. Her actions certainly speak of a hot-headed temper and a forceful personality: nicknaming her prospective sister-in-law 'Phlegm' (admittedly to Harry and Hermione's amusement), tripping her brother to embarrass him, smashing into Zacharias Smith for giving a commentary biased against her team, taunting her brother about his lack of experience with girls during an argument, and cursing Smith for persistently asking about Harry's role in the fight against Voldemort. Some claim that Ginny's actions are similar to the actions of the antagonists in the books, yet they are admired by Harry. Others argue that she is vindicated in these actions, which are unlike those of the villains, making her a playful troublemaker in the mould of her older brothers Fred and George - Ginny is indeed compared to the twins several times in the series. While Ginny can seem hard and detached, there are also moments of compassion which indicate a gentle side to her nature. When Ron humiliates himself by asking Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball, Ginny hides her amusement at the situation and comforts him. When her father is attacked by Voldemort's serpent Nagini she rushes to Grimmauld Place with her brothers and Harry, and stays up with them through the night. And when Ron is poisoned by Madam Rosmerta's wine in the Half-Blood Prince, she and Harry obsessively discuss the issue and she expresses a strong concern over Ron's well-being. It is also notable that, despite her popularity, Ginny is one of the few students to truly befriend and stand up for Luna Lovegood, at a stage when even Harry, Ron and Hermione look down on her as 'loony'. Others point out signs which indicate a softer side. She is shown to be caring about her family and friends in various instances: when her father was attacked be a serpent she and three of her brothers rushed from school to the Order's headquarters and stayed up all night waiting for news about their father. When Ron was poisoned she and Harry had a heated discussion over who was behind it, and Ginny did show anxiety for her brother. When her oldest brother Bill, whom Ginny worships, was savaged by a werewolf she was shaken, and given her steely disposition, it shows the depth of her emotions. When Dumbledore died, she cried at his funeral (the first time since she was eleven years old) and couldn't fall asleep at night. Ginny also cries in Chamber of Secrets when expecting to be expelled. Ginny has also been kind to "social outcasts" such as Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, befriending Luna when the main trio of Harry, Ron and especially Hermione disregarded her; defending Neville and Luna when they are teased. Ginny does not flaunt her popularity, but befriends people on merit, whatever their position within the school. On the whole, Ginny shows concern for her friends and family when they are in true danger, but almost always maintains her composure. The exceptions are found at the end of the Half-Blood Prince, when the eldest Weasley brother Bill (who Ginny hero worships) is savaged by a werewolf and Dumbledore dies. Ginny's voice trembles as she tells Harry of her brother's condition. At Dumbledore's funeral Ginny cries, but along with Harry, regains her composure quicker than many other attendees. One common complaint from fans on both sides of the debate is that too much of her character development, especially the growth of her relationship with Harry, is told rather than shown. Ginny is aptempted to have a big role in the seventh tome for she is a strong heroine who overcame possesion in her second year and went on to become a good Quidditch player; she is also celebrated for being more than a match for her often overbearing older brothers. Ginny's portrayal in fan fiction prior to The Order of the Phoenix varied greatly, but she was most often depicted as either a naïve, fresh-faced ingénue or a rugged tomboy. Since the fifth book came out she has been almost exclusively depicted as the latter, often to an extent exceeding the actual books. She is usually paired with either Harry or Draco Malfoy, or, in the context of femslash fanfiction, with Hermione. Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (First Appearance) *''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' *''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' *''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' *''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' References Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Ginny Category:Potter family Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Ginny Category:Weasley family